Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1541: The Cerebus’s Power (Part 2)

The Dark Guild members were hidden in every corner of the factory. Some clung to the iron beams high up in the ceiling, their silhouettes melting into the shadows. Others crouched behind the massive machines, their presence masked by the hum of dormant equipment. A few had even woven illusions over themselves, crafting spells that made them appear as nothing more than stacks of forgotten crates.

When Harvey gave the order, they moved as one.

Dark figures poured from every hiding place, their magic flaring in bursts of shadow. The golden uniforms of the Cerebus Guild, so bright and noble in appearance, betrayed them. The gilded fabric, meant to inspire awe and command authority, now served as beacons, perfect targets for the oncoming storm of spells.

The Cerebus Guild’s defenses were strong, bolstered by the combined force of light magic and moon magic. For a time, their radiant barrier held against the first wave. But now, with more firepower raining down, cracks began to appear.

One Cerebus mage stepped forward, thrusting out his palm as he conjured a powerful whirlwind, a blast strong enough to lift bodies off the ground. But before the spell could fully form, counterspells surged at him. Waves of fire, bolts of earth, blades of wind, all collided with the whirlwind, breaking it apart. And then, like wolves scenting blood, the Dark Guild focused on him.

A coordinated barrage of shadow bolts struck his shoulder, piercing again and again. His defenses faltered, his spell broken mid-cast. A beat later, the military personnel, those same soldiers who had betrayed him, launched their own barrage. The combined assault struck with brutal force, and the Cerebus mage collapsed, lifeless, to the factory floor.

The others were strong, no doubt about it, but strength alone meant little when the tide of battle pressed from all sides. Outnumbered, surrounded, and caught in an ambush, the Cerebus Guild began to falter. For every member who fell, the formation weakened, until their cohesion began to break apart.

Still, even as their numbers dwindled, the Cerebus fought with grim determination. They supported one another, covering weaknesses, shielding their comrades, and retaliating with sharp precision. Their training was evident, their discipline unmatched.

But it wasn’t enough.

Mordain and Harvey bore down relentlessly on Lias, their combined strength crushing him from both sides. In the beginning, the match had been even, Lias holding his ground with his mastery of light and moon magic. But the odds were impossible. Harvey alone, with his seven-star strength, was already enough to push Lias to his limits. Add in Mordain, a War Magus whose lightning magic cut with merciless speed, and the fight tipped beyond hope.

A devastating blow ended it.

The puppet, Harvey’s shadow construct, moved like a predator, its massive spike forming from condensed Dark Magic. With a sickening thrust, it drove straight through Lias’ chest, puncturing his heart.

Blood dripped as his knees buckled. Yet even with his final breaths, light still glowed faintly from his body, his magic clinging stubbornly to life.

“You… really had to make it so difficult for us all?” Harvey said coldly. His lips curled into something between a sneer and a smile. “With you gone, we’ll just keep doing this, over and over, until every last one of you falls.”

Lias coughed, blood staining his lips. His vision blurred, but his voice carried, steady even as life slipped away. “You think… you’re strong enough… but you have no idea. You don’t know the real strength… of the Cerebus Guild.”

The words faded with his final breath, his body falling limp against the factory floor.

With Lias gone, the tide turned swiftly. He had been one of the anchors of their defense, his moon magic supporting the others. Without him, the radiant cohesion that had held the group together unraveled.

Freed from the duel, Harvey and Mordain unleashed their fury on the others. Blow after blow, spell after spell, they carved through the remnants of the Cerebus squad. The last rays of resistance flickered out as their enemies were struck down, one by one.

And then it was done.

The factory fell silent except for the ragged breathing of the survivors. The military personnel and the Dark Guild stood side by side, gazes sweeping across the carnage. They braced themselves for more enemies to appear, but no reinforcements came. The Cerebus Guild squad was finished.

It had not come without cost.

Bodies lay scattered across the floor, ten men from the military, ten from the Dark Guild. Dozens more writhed in pain, severely injured. The losses were a testament to the strength of the Cerebus Guild. Even ambushed, even outnumbered, they had carved deep wounds into their enemies before falling.

Now came the task of cleaning up. And that, Harvey declared, was for the Dark Guild to handle.

“Can you not do that to our men?” Mordain said, his voice heavy as he looked at the corpses of his soldiers. His expression was hard, but his tone betrayed the weight of his responsibility. “I want to take their bodies back to their families. No one will know they were here. Whatever you do with your Dark Guild members is up to you.”

For a moment, Harvey looked as though he might decline, irritation flashing across his face. But then he exhaled sharply, dismissing it with a wave of his hand.

“Fine,” Harvey said. “But the Cerebus members… they stay. I’ll leave their bodies where they are. So the world knows who did this. So they know the Dark Guild is coming for them.”

As the Dark Mages set to work, dragging bodies and erasing traces of the battle, footsteps echoed across the floor.

“Man, I can’t believe I forgot my tools,” a voice muttered.

A man walked in through the front entrance, casual and unsuspecting. His clothes marked him as an ordinary worker, nothing more. His eyes widened as he froze, staring at the devastation before him.

An innocent.

“We can’t have any witnesses,” Harvey said coldly. He raised his hand, dark energy swirling as a lethal pulse began to form.

But before the magic could fire, a sharp gust of wind struck his arm. The blast veered off to the side, the dark spell flying wide and dissipating harmlessly.

The worker bolted, terror driving him to sprint back the way he came.

“What are you doing!” Harvey roared. His face twisted with fury as he turned on Mordain.

“That man was innocent!” Mordain shouted, his voice firm, righteous. “We can’t just go around killing anyone!”

Harvey’s expression shifted. For a moment, his lips curved into something like a grin. “You’re right.”

The puppet loomed behind him, its shadow stretching long and thin. In the next instant, it wrapped around Harvey, merging with his body. He swung his arm forward, and the puppet’s spike pierced through Mordain’s chest in one brutal strike.

The War Magus gasped, blood filling his lungs. He stared in disbelief, his body trembling as the shadow spike punched through his heart.

“We can’t just go killing anyone,” Harvey said darkly, leaning close as he pulled his arm free. “But we must remove anyone who stands in the Dark Magus’s way. I won’t let him fail because of idiots like you.”

Mordain’s body crumpled to the floor, lifeless.

Harvey looked down at him, his voice calm now, almost reverent. “At least in your death, you’ll be useful for the cause.”

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